Mexico: Best Travel Insurance For a Safe Trip (Review)

If you’re planning a trip to Mexico, you might be wondering: Do I really need travel insurance? The short answer is yes—and choosing the right travel insurance for Mexico could save you from unexpected medical bills, trip cancellations, or even emergency evacuations.

As a seasoned traveler, I’ve seen firsthand how the right travel protection can make all the difference when things don’t go as planned.

Mexico is a top destination for tourists, offering everything from stunning beaches in Cancún and Los Cabos to cultural gems like Mexico City and Oaxaca. But while the country is a paradise for many, it also presents risks—such as foodborne illnesses, adventure sports accidents, or hurricanes during the rainy season. That’s why having a comprehensive travel insurance plan is essential.

The best Mexico travel insurance should cover medical emergencies, hospitalization, and emergency medical evacuation, as many U.S. and Canadian health plans offer little to no coverage abroad. Additionally, a strong policy should include trip cancellation coverage, lost luggage protection, and COVID-19 coverage, especially in today’s travel climate.

In this guide, I’ll break down the best travel insurance options for Mexico, comparing costs, coverage, and the top insurers. Whether you’re a budget traveler, an adventure seeker, or a digital nomad, I’ll help you find the perfect travel insurance policy for your needs.

Best travel insurance for Mexico

Mayan ruins , delicious tacos, turquoise beaches, cenotes, colorful flags and many, many surprises await you in Mexico . This is a great trip, a trip that will overwhelm you… and not only because of the number of plans you are planning, but also because of the reputation – not always so good – of the country. If the issue of safety scares you, at the end of the article we give you some extra recommendations.

But the first step to ensure that your trip doesn't go unexpectedly wrong is to take out insurance that covers the main unforeseen events. We're talking about health emergencies, illnesses, accidents, or even lost luggage or flight connections... We've long been convinced that the part of a travel budget allocated to paying for travel insurance is not an expense, but an investment.

With your ideas clear, now it's time to find the best insurance for traveling to Mexico. Keep reading…

Spoiler alert! If you want to skip the long post, you can directly purchase the IATI Backpacker insurance here (with a 5% discount ) which, as you will see, is perfect for a trip to Mexico.

Is travel insurance mandatory for Mexico?

It is NOT mandatory , but it must be taken into account that since the arrival of Covid-19, many destinations DO require travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage as an entry requirement, and the truth is that it seems the most logical thing to do.

Now that Covid has become a bad memory, we have all learned that traveling without insurance is NOT a good idea, whether to Mexico or Timbuktu. Knock on wood, but you know what they say: where the body is, there is danger and traveling without insurance is totally irresponsible (you will save money on the other hand, but DON'T be a cheapskate with this).

In the case of Mexico, regardless of whether your idea is to spend a week relaxing in the Riviera Maya , a few days in Mexico City and its surroundings, a month exploring less touristy places, or touring Baja California by car, we recommend taking out insurance before travelling. You never know where an emergency may arise that ruins your trip: an infectious disease, a simple sprained ankle or the Revenge of Moctezuma and its eschatological consequences… Don't take any chances!

Is it safe to travel to Mexico?

Are you crazy to want to go to Mexico? I'm sure that as soon as you told your friends and family that you wanted to go there was an awkward silence and the faces, Juan, the faces! Let's be clear: Mexico doesn't have good publicity and it's assumed that bad things happen there, very bad things... But let's calm down. NOT in all areas and NOT always :-p We have been traveling for almost a month and NOT anything bad has happened to us.

If you live your life without getting into trouble, if you don't travel to conflict-ridden places, you move with common sense and don't flaunt money, you will most likely not have a single problem (most violent cases are linked to drug cartels).

Top Beach Hotels

Mexico family vacations: 11 best places to go in Mexico with kids - FamilyVacationist

Health in Mexico

In general, both the healthcare facilities and the professional level in Mexico are of good quality . As long as we are talking about the private sector ! Public healthcare in Mexico is riddled with shortcomings, the result of insufficient state investment (it is one of the last countries in the world in terms of healthcare expenditure). For this reason, a large part of Mexicans prefer to pay for private health insurance to avoid the inefficient public health system .

In case of need, it is advisable to go to a private health centre . But of course, these are expensive and usually require payment in advance for treatment. This is one of the main reasons for travelling with good insurance, which will take care of finding a suitable centre and paying the bills.

What is the best travel insurance for Mexico: IATI Mochilero

We always travel with IATI insurance: they are the leading travel insurance brokerage. They have more than 100 years of history and offer different insurances for each type of adventure. And for this trip we are clear: the best travel insurance for Mexico is IATI Mochilero .

IATI Backpacker: details

Here are the reasons why we believe that the IATI Backpacker is the best option for your trip to Mexico:

High limits : although healthcare in Mexico is not as expensive as in other countries (the United States, Iceland or Japan), we have already seen that it is not cheap either and it is always good to have insurance that offers limits on high health expenses. The IATI Mochilero insurance covers up to €500,000 .
Adventure sports : snorkelling, diving, trekking… IATI Backpackers is probably the best insurance on the market for those looking for “body-sauce”. It covers adventure sports and is the ONLY one that includes diving at depths of more than 20 metres.
Search and rescue with a limit of €15,000.
Covid-19 coverage included: PCR, hospitalization, quarantine expenses, repatriation…
Road accident coverage (be careful, there are other insurance policies that DO NOT cover them!).
No deductible : you won't have to pay a single € in advance.
Includes luggage loss , damage and theft.

→ More information and coverage here

Some of these coverages are common to all Iati insurance policies, such as the new APP where you can see the insurance details and it will give you access to a medical chat ideal for medical consultations and specific questions (even 3 days before starting the trip). Through this APP you can also request assistance and call the insurance company for free , wherever you are.

Comparisons with other insurances

For the type of trip, we recommend IATI Mochilero, but IATI also offers other interesting options. These are other insurances and their coverage:

	IATI Backpacker	IATI Standard	IATI Star
Medical Assistance	500.000€	€500,000 (€300,000 in Europe)	Up to €5,000,000
Adventure sport	YES (balloon, snorkel and diving)	NO	YES (balloon, snorkel and diving)
Theft and damage to luggage	€1,500 (+€100 theft)	1.000€	€2,500 (+€100 theft)
Delays	Luggage (300€) and transportation (270€)	Luggage (120€) and transportation (180€)	Luggage (300€) and transportation (300€) + unused vacation
Repatriation	Traveler and companion, + early return	Traveler and companion	Traveler and companion, + early return
Search and rescue	15.000€	NO	NO

If you don't plan on diving, snorkelling, trekking or any other adventure activities and want to save a little money, the IATI Standard might also be worth it.

Trip cancellation option

What happens if I can't make the trip? Whether it's due to family issues, because *knock on wood again* we catch Covid or because some weight problem arises, we may have to give up on the trip. Will we have lost all the money for flights, hotel reservations, etc.? If you hire the Cancellation Option you will get this money back, but the reason for cancellation has to be serious and justified. If you get lazy and don't want to go, really? It's not worth it.

It is done at the same time as taking out the insurance (at most 7 days after booking your trip) and the best thing is that the extra amount to pay is almost symbolic.

Selected Boutique Hotels

Covid-19 Coverage

As we told you before, nowadays it is essential that your travel insurance for Mexico (and many other destinations) has Covid-19 coverage. All IATI insurances include these guarantees :

Medical assistance for Covid-19 (without special limits).
Expenses for carrying out the different tests to detect the virus (PCR, serological, etc.).
Expenses associated with extending a stay in the event of quarantine .
Repatriation in case you need to return home or miss your return flight.
Flight costs if borders are closed in your country of residence.
Early return in case of border closure or state of emergency at origin or destination.

Price of travel insurance for Mexico

These are the prices of each insurance for a trip to Mexico of 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks. The cost of the 4 insurances we compared includes the 5% discount and does not include the cancellation fee:

	IATI Backpacker	IATI Basic	IATI Standard	IATI Star
1 week	45€	27€	33€	57€
2 weeks	77€	47€	55€	93€
3 weeks	98€	56€	70€	117€
4 weeks	133€	77€	95€	149€

IATI Annual Multitrip

If you are an avid traveller and this trip to Mexico is one of the many you make during the year, take a look at the IATI Annual Multi-trip insurance . This is an annual insurance that covers all trips of a maximum of 90 days . Its coverage is quite complete, with €300,000 in medical assistance, repatriation, transport delays, damage to luggage, and it also covers the most common adventure sports (although if you go scuba diving, you will have to add an extension of coverage for a small supplement).

→ More information and coverage here

cenote on a trip to Mexico

Frequently asked questions about travel insurance for Mexico

Finally, we answer the most common questions that people have before taking out travel insurance to Mexico:

✓ Is it mandatory to take out insurance for Mexico ?

No, the Mexican government does not consider having health insurance as one of the entry requirements. Even so, we believe it is essential to travel with insurance.

✓ Is there a deductible or will I have to pay money in advance?

Nowadays, all insurance companies are responsible for managing the payment of bills arising from your emergency, whether in Mexico or on any other trip. If you see that one of them does not do it this way when comparing insurance companies, it is better to rule it out. In the case of Iati, they take care of these costs (up to the contracted limit) and they also do not have any type of deductible, so you will not have to pay anything in advance.

✓ In case of emergency, how do I proceed?

The first thing to do is to contact the health insurance you have contracted, through their contact channels. Iati, for example, has an APP with chat and the possibility of making a free call, although you can also call the number provided in the policy or via email. Before leaving on your trip, it is important to be very clear about how to contact them.

Once you explain the case, they will get to work and in a matter of minutes you will receive a call with specific instructions: which hospital to go to, wait for an ambulance, a doctor will see you at your hotel, etc.

It is important to do it this way, but obviously there are emergencies that require immediate attention. In these cases you will still be covered, but you will have to pay out of pocket the expenses arising from this care and then claim reimbursement from your insurer by presenting the invoices. We know that Iati does not cause any problems, but keep in mind that there may be other companies with which you may have to "fight" to get that reimbursement.

✓ Does the insurance cover traffic accidents?

It is important to read the conditions of each particular insurance company to check this, as not all of them include it, and on a trip through Mexico with a rental car , it is essential to be clear about this. We know that all Iati insurance policies, which we have been using for a long time, do include medical assistance in the event of a traffic accident, but obviously it does not cover damage to the vehicle or to third parties (for this there are the rental companies' own insurance policies).

We have reached the end of the post and at this point we hope that you already know which is the best travel insurance for Mexico . Your trip is just a little bit closer! Enjoy every moment and you know that if you have any more questions, we are here for you.

Best Boutique Hotels